The use of pipe clamps to attach or fasten pipes to support structures is well known. One clamp of this type typically includes an inverted U-shaped bracket having a transverse surface and a pair of spaced-apart depending legs which support the pipe therebetween. The distal end of the legs may be attached to a structural member such as a support strut or other similar device. The transverse surface of the clamp supports a threaded bolt therethrough having a pipe saddle movably seated between the depending legs. As the bolt is advanced with respect to the transverse surface, the saddle moves downwardly to seat and force the pipe between the saddle and the structural member, thereby securing the pipe to the structural member.
As may be appreciated, various sizes of pipe may be supported within the clamp as the saddle is movable with respect thereto by actuation of the threaded bolt. Typically, the bolt is provided in an open position with the bolt being nearly completely retracted and the saddle being positioned in an upward location with respect to the clamp. This allows a larger sized pipe to be inserted into the clamp. However, as may also be appreciated, when a smaller diameter pipe is employed, the saddle must be substantially advanced by screw actuation of the bolt to move the saddle downward to the smaller sized pipe to secure the pipe to the structural member.
A large part of the time attributed to installation of pipe clamps, is the need to advance the bolt toward the pipe to tighten the pipe to the structural member. For certain small diameter pipes, it has been found that in excess of 12–15 turns of the bolt is required to effectively secure the pipe to the structural member. Such operation is both time-consuming and costly, as installation time contributes to the overall cost of the installation project.
It is therefore desirable to provide an improved pipe clamp which can be more efficiently and effectively used to secure pipes to a structural member and which accommodates such efficient fashion for pipes of different diameters.